Abstract

In the formidable 1931 paper “Uber die Umkehrung der Naturgesetze” (English translation EPJH 46, 2021) Schrodinger introduced the idea of studying non-equilibrium processes that are minimizers of cost functionals motivated by statistical physics considerations. Almost a century afterward, this idea has been inspirational for conceptualizing how the second law of thermodynamics applies to physical processes at the micro and nano scale. In this talk, I describe the application of generalized Schrodinger bridges, i.e. optimal stochastic feedback control of thermodynamic costs between assigned end-states, to the analysis of models of classical open systems such as Landauer’s model of erasure of a bit of memory. In particular, I focus on the case when the control is a mechanical force and inertial effects are taken into account (Langevin-Kramers dynamics).

The talk is mainly based on

• Sanders, J., Baldovin, M., & M-G P., arXiv:2407.15678 (2024).

• Sanders, J., Baldovin, M., & M-G P., JSP 119 , 117, (2024).